Native yellow sunflowers in a field
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Graphical banner reads: Scavenger Hunt 2023

Scavenger Hunt at Wild River State Park

Please note: The official 2023 season is finished. There are no more weekly drawings. However, you are still welcome to enjoy the hunts.

Welcome! You are tasked with finding "items" from these categories:

  • Trees
  • Wildflowers
  • Arthropods
  • Birds
  • Mushrooms & Lichens
  • Signs of wildlife
  • Amphibians & Reptiles

Happy scavenging!

 

 

Note: The icon below shows # of entries at this park for this year.
Banner reads: trees

Leaf: oval to triangular shaped with jagged teeth.
Bark: Thin, papery; becomes pure white with age, marked by black pores; peels off into thin sheets.
Fun Fact: Bark historically used to make canoes and wigwams by Ojibwe peoples.

photos: MnDNR

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PAPER BIRCH

Tree - Paper Birch

Leaf: 5-9 finger-like lobes that can be notched deeply or shallow.
Bark: Pale gray with scaly ridges and shallow fissures.
Acorn: light brown and enclosed in a bowl-shaped cap.

photo: MnDNR

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WHITE OAK

photos of oak leaf, nuts and bark

Needles: Clusters of five wispy needles (memory device: 5 needles for the 5 letters in WHITE).
Bark: Smooth and green-gray when young; furrowed and gray-brown when older.
Fun Fact: A favorite for bald eagles to nest.

photo: MnDNR

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WHITE PINE

Tree - White Pine
Banner reads: Wildflowers

Blooms: June - October
Found: Sunny fields, along roads or lakeshores.
Petals: Cheery yellow petals swirl around a black center.

photo: Luke Lawreszuk / Sprayedout.com

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BLACK-EYED SUSAN

Flower - black-Eyed Susan

Blooms: July-Sept.
Found: In sunny areas.
Petals: Branching clusters with small, yellow flowers
Note: MN has 17 types of goldenrod that look similar with small yellow flowers.

photo: Elfosium / Wikimedia CC

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GOLDENROD

Flower - Goldenrod

Blooms: June - August
Commonly Found: Along shores and wood edges.
Petal Color: Pink or white.
Fun Fact: Monarchs lay their eggs solely on milkweed.

photo: USFWS

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COMMON MILKWEED

flower with big green leaves and pink petals
Banner reads: Arthropods

This water beetle is usually found swimming on the surface of a lake or pond where they swim wildly in circles. This movement makes small waves, which may help them find insects to eat via echolocation.

Udo Schmidt from Deutschland, CC via Wikimedia Commons & Under the same moon via Flickr CC

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WHIRLIGIG BEETLE

Beetle floating on water

There are many types of caterpillars roaming around in Minnesota parks. They may be fuzzy, stripy, or plain, and each will transform into a moth or butterfly. The ones here are the Tussock Moth (top left), the Woolybear (bottom left), and the Monarch, which can be found on milkweed plants.

photo: Lisa Filter/P&TC; 1sock / FlickrCC; Maria L. Evans / Wikimedia CC

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CATERPILLARS

Three caterpillars

Color: Bright orange with black veins.
Found: Flying around wildflowers.
Fun Fact:
They fly down to Mexico before winter begins.

photo: Peter Miller / Flickr CC

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MONARCH BUTTERFLY

Monarch butterfly on a pink flower
Banner reads: Birds

Appearance: All-black bird with a loud call.
Found: Around open areas near patches of woods.
Fun Fact: They are one of the most intelligent birds and live up to 20 years in large, extended families.

photo: Dick Daniels/Carolina Birds

10 / 21

AMERICAN CROW

Appearance:  Blue with a reddish chest and white belly.
Found: Flying fast over prairies.
Fact: Once nearly eliminated from MN, now rebounded as people built nest boxes.

photo: pixabay.com

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EASTERN BLUEBIRD

bluebird

Top-heavy bird that flies quickly over water where it spends most of its time. Makes a piercing rattle sound. Males and females similar.

photo: Kevin Cole from Pacific Coast / WikiMedia CC

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BELTED KINGFISHER

Belted Kingfisher
Banner reads: Mushrooms and Lichen

Appearance: Semi-circle with brown top and pure white underside.
Found: On tree trunks of hardwood trees and some conifers.
CAUTION: Never eat any mushroom unless knowledgeable.

photos: Cyndy Sims Parr/FlickrCC
George Chernilevsky/Public domain

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ARTIST'S CONK

mushroom

Appearance: Sorta like a turkey's tail growing out of a tree. This mushroom has wavy, leathery brown, white, gray, or reddish stripes.

Found: May-Sept. growing on logs or dead trees, especially on oaks.

CAUTION: Never eat any mushroom unless knowledgeable.

photo: Matt Welter / Wikimedia CC & Ryan Hodnett / Wikimedia CC

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TURKEY TAIL

Brown, wavy mushroom
Banner reads: Human Made

Deer hooves (photo) are commonly seen on or near trails. Their hooves make two side-by-side teardrop tracks. Other common prints are from raccoons, rabbits, opossums, and coyotes.

photo: QS Wiki Account, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

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ANIMAL FOOTPRINTS

Deer hoof print in dirt

Many animals, such as squirrels, raccoons, owls, bats, weasels, porcupines, songbirds, and others, make their homes inside tree holes. The holes can occur from tree decay or broken branches, or else with the help of woodpeckers. While it's rare to see the occupant, let's assume it's a home for someone.

photo: Lorianne DiSabato / Flickr CC

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TREE CAVITY
(possible animal den)

Raccoon in a tree hole
Banner reads: Amphibians and reptiles

There are about 130 species of fishes found naturally in Minnesota. The most common ones to swim near shore and under docks are sunfish (photo). Seeing any fish will earn you points for this item.

photo: Joe Mabel, CC via Wikimedia

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FISH

Sunfish swimming in rocky bottom lake

There are two tree frog species in MN, which look similar. Both are about 1 inch. They change colors in seconds to match their surroundings, varying from greens to grays.

photo: Richard Crook / Flickr cc & Fredlyfish4, CC 4.0 via Wikimedia

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TREEFROG (GRAY OR COPE'S GRAY)

Treefrog
Banner reads: Human Made
photo: Courtesy of Friends of Wild River

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FREE LITTLE LIBRARY

photo: Courtesy of Friends of Wild River

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LOGGING SLED

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WHAT OTHER INTERESTING THINGS DID YOU FIND?

Fill in the following information to be entered in our weekly drawing for a $20 gift card to Minnesota State Parks, which will be mailed to the winner.

You may also opt to receive this 4"x 4" window cling with dots showing each Minnesota State Park.

state of mn with dots for each state park

 

 

Please note: An adult must fill in the information for anyone age 12 and under.

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